Improvement in cotton-choppers



W. T. YOUNG & W. D. MOODY.

Cotton-Chopper.

Patented Mar. 18, 1879.

WITJVE ES INVEJVTOW.

wee/ Z My,

um. PHOIO-UTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. n c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLEY T. YOUNG AND WILLIAM D. MOODY, OF WALNUT GROVE, ALA.

IMPROVEMENT IN COTTON-CHOPPERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 213,489, dated March18, 1879; application filed January 11,1879.

1'0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLEY T. YOUNG and WILLIAM D. MOODY, of WalnutGrove, in the county of Etowah and State of Alabama, have invented a newand valuable Improvementin Cotton-Choppers; and we dohereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of theconstruction and operation of the same, reference being had to theannexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to theletters an d figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of a side elevation of ourcotton chopper. Fig.2 is a front view of the same, partly broken away toshow our improvement and Fig. 3 is a detail view of the adjustableguard.

This invention has relation to cotton-choppers; and it consists in theimprovements in the construction of the same hereinafter fullydescribed, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in the several figures.

A represents the main beam, having upper and lower transverse slots, toa, and front and rear face-plates, B B.

The ends of the beam A are provided with projecting perforated flanges(l O, to which slotted standards D D are bolted, so as to be verticallyadjustable.

The lower ends of the slotted standards D D are bifurcated, and furnishbearings for the journals of the supporting-wheels E E.

A forked draft-beam, F, extends forward from the beam A a shortdistance; and the forks unite, and are provided with rectangularperforations and a draft-hook, G.

A perforated and slotted angle-iron, H, is secured to the portion I ofthe draft-beam F by bolts, so as to be adjustable longitudinallythereunder, and the slotted portion depends therefrom.

A slotted clip, J, furnishing bearings for the vertical shaft K of acaster-wheel, L, is secured by bolts b b to the depending arm of the angle-iron H, so as to be vertically adjustable, for the purpose ofadjusting the draftbeam F.

The hoes M are bolted to the lower ends of the curved shanks N, and thelatter, except the central one, are laterally adjustable upon the beam Aby means of the bolts 0 c and lateral slots at a, to regulate thedistance between the hoes.

Guards 0 O, twisted to bring their cutting-edges foremost, areinterposed between the curved shanks N and the front face-plate, B, andare also adjustable in a manner similar to the shanks N themselves.

The object of the guards O O is to prevent the cotton from being coveredwhen the chopper is passing over the rows of cotton.

The machine is run across the rows of cotton and the object of havingthe caster-wheel horizontally adjustable upon the draft-beam A is thatit may be made to conform to the diiferent widths of cotton-rows-that isto say,

where the rows are close together the casterwheel should be adjustedcloser to the hoes, and where the rows are farther apart thecaster-wheel should be adjusted farther from the hoes, in order to causethe hoes and the wheel to pass over the ridges at the same time and keepthe hoes level when they act upon the cotton-ridges.

The object of having the supporting-wheels and the caster-wheelvertically adjustable is to produce uniformity in the depth of the hoesirrespective of the height of the cottonridges.

Handles P are connected to the draft-beam F at their front ends, and aresupported by standards at d, and connected by a cross-bar, e, havinghooked ends, at their rear ends.

The operation of our invention is obvious.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a cotton-chopper, the combination of the beam A, supported on thewheels E E, provided with the vertically-adjustable slot-ted standards DD, with the draft-beam]? and the slotted and perforated angle-iron H,carrying vertically-adjustable caster-wheel J KL, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

2. In a cotton-chopper, the combination of the slotted beam A a a withthe laterally-adjustable curved shanks I) and the laterallyadjustableguards O O, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that we claim the above we have hereunto subscribed ournames in the presence of two witnesses.

. WILLEY T. YOUNG.

Witnesses: WILLIAM D. MOODY.

G. F. WHITLY, V. H. DEAN.

